Four Hurst teams across the year groups took part in the national schools netball finals last week and performed extremely well.
1st VII
Having been crowned South Region champions after a standout performance in January, the first team girls were aiming for a top 10 finish in the national schools netball finals at Oundle School. The standard of competition was exceptional, and the girls were delighted to play a part.
With a challenging draw, the Hurst team needed a good start. In their first match against Guildford High School, the girls were tested from the first whistle, and lost the game 13-7. A convincing 15-8 win against Repton in the second game was a good confidence booster. The match against Cardinal Newman was a close end-to-end battle and although the Hurst girls fought hard throughout, they conceded a goal in the dying seconds to lose 12-11. They refocussed for game four with a huge win over RGS Newcastle.
The next three matches were incredibly tough, as the girls tried to remain positive to stay in contention for a top 10 finish. They lost to Exeter 18-7, to Woodhouse Grove 14-11 – having led for most of the game – and to eventual bronze medallists, Wrekin 15-9. In the last game the girls took on St Albans and won 11-9 in an end-to-end thriller, to finish on a high. Their morale was strong and after eight games, the girls had given their all to finish in thirteenth place.
“ Over 300 schools from across England entered this competition and the performance from the first team has left us feeling very proud. A huge achievement for all and an incredible way for our Upper Sixth to see out their netball at Hurst ” Rebecca Jutson, Assistant Director of Sport (Girls)
U16s
The 16A team had been training hard and were excited to compete at the national schools finals. The weather was good, the atmosphere electric and the girls were ready to start their campaign. They started strongly in their first game against Guildford High School, however a couple of errors at a crucial time meant they went two goals down. Despite digging deep, the team finished with a 14-6 loss and just missed out on a bonus point for achieving over 50% of the score. They regrouped ahead of their next game against Spoone and came out flying. With some brilliant shooting and great full court defence, the Hurst girls took the match 11-2.
In a tough third game against Cheadle Hulme the girls lost 19-6. However, Cheadle went on to beat all the other teams in the group and win the competition overall. Next up were Yarm, the Hurst girls applied pressure from the first whistle and did not look back. Some brilliant shooting secured a 17-5 win. Another tough game against Redmaids’ High followed. In a very even first half, the Hurst team were 6-4 up at half time. A composed second half secured another victory by 12-9.
A couple of attacking errors against the Grammar School at Leeds led to a 10-6 loss. However, in their penultimate game against Bablake, the girls played some of their best netball for a 10-3 win. The final game against Brentwood saw a very even first half as Hurst finished 7-6 up. They continued to apply pressure in the second half to secure a 14-8 win. That result meant the Hurst girls finished third in their group and fifth place overall.
“ This was a fantastic achievement, and I am so proud of this group of girls ” Ellen Franks, Head of Netball
U13s
The U13s have progressed so much this season, having made the semi-finals in four tournaments but just missing out on the medals.
Determined to do well in the IAPS National Finals at Ipswich school, the girls knew they faced a battle to progress from a tough pool. However, they took a huge win in game one to beat Mowden Hall 9-3. Next up were the favourites – Taunton and Millfield. With clear game plans, they beat Taunton 6-5 and Millfield 8-7. In their next match against Spratton Hall, the girls were brought back down to earth with a 6-6 draw and knew they had to win the last match to win their group. The team took a convincing win 9-1 against Westbourne House to secure top spot and a place in the quarter-finals.
The Hurst girls had a slow start in their quarter-final against Godstowe and were one goal down at half time. Still within touching distance they continued to fight hard but made some errors under pressure and Godstowe took advantage to record a 6-2 win.
The U13s performed beyond all expectations to achieve a top eight finish and have a very bright future ahead of them.
U12s
The U12s travelled to Rugby School for the IAPs National Finals. A few last-minute team changes meant the girls were up against it from the start but worked tirelessly throughout the day in appalling weather conditions.
They had a tough pool, and started with a nail biting 1-1 draw against Repton. Gaining confidence in their second match, the girls worked hard for every rebound against a strong Witham Hall side. They moved the ball well up the court and turned over multiple centre passes but struggled to feed the shooters against some very tall defence.
Two narrow wins followed against St Faith’s and King’s Hall, leaving Hurst in good stead ahead of their last two matches. The girls faced two very strong teams in their final pool matches who went on to win the Plate and Cup competitions. They then lost In a very well-matched Bowl quarter-final against St Hugh’s, but it was a gallant effort from the whole squad.
Find out more about Netball at Hurst College